She Loves Me Not
by RoseofDestiny
Summary: A 286362 triangle. Teens Next Door. Please read.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **If you flame this, please make sure it is because you dislike the story and not because you dislike slash. Okay? I can take criticism, but the first review that says "Slash sucks" or "Omg, u r so gay! Wy r u so gay?" I'm going to go off. I'll update my other stories later. I need to get this started before it drives me nuts.

**Pairings: **86/362 and 2/86 later (because I love a good triangle).

The doors made a swoosh noise as they closed behind a tall blonde, but she ignored it. She was used to it by now, but to the others in the room it sounded deafening. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she surveyed the group. She smirked at all of them. "Welcome to the Teens Next Door," she glanced down at the clip board, making sure no one was missing. No one was. "Numbuhs 1 through 5, previously of Sector V, and Numbuh 86." The group, except the red head at the end, who Numbuh 362 had just noticed was sitting several inches away from the others, all smiled back at her.

"Well, Rachel, this is a surprise," Numbuh 1, Nigel Uno gave a small nod. "I guess I should have known you'd be taking over for Maurice, though. But why are the others so shocked? We didn't get much time to talk to you….I got 'decomissioned' three weeks ago."

"You're asking why the long wait before the induction for everybody else?" Rachel guessed. Nigel nodded. "Reorginization. We're trying to figure out who's jurisdiction is which sector of each group of Teens Next Door. We only take the best of the best, and while that means we get a lot of capable operatives, we also wind up with more work than we can handle at times."

Everyone accepted this explanation, but Fanny remained silent. Rachel noted how odd it was for the redhead to be quiet, having worked at her side practically since their induction into the Kids Next Door. They had known each other quite a long time, but all Rachel could recall in that instant was that Fanny yelled a lot. For some reason if she knew anything else about the girl, the information was escaping her. Fanny shifted, her eyes meeting Rachel. Rachel frowned and looked away.

"Sir, how will the hierarchy work?" Fanny finally spoke. _Figures_, Rachel thought to herself. _The first thing Fanny wants to know is who she'll be able to boss around. This is going to be disappointed for her. _

"Well, I'm first in command," Rachel figured it best to start with the obvious. She knew to start from the beginning, "Second in command will actually be Nigel, followed by Patton. After that, everyone's on the same level."

Fanny wasn't the only one staring at Rachel in that moment. "I'm …thrilled," Nigel admitted, but pressed on, "But why give me such a promotion? 86 and 60 both greatly outranked me before our decomissio--"

Rachel cut him off. "Because as far as field agent work and organizing group attacks, you're the best. Don't let it go to your head, though," She warned, "Patton is second-in-command in that he makes a good leader as well, but he doesn't quite have your success rate and he's too used to training cadets now. I'm not sure he can move back to seasoned operatives that easily."

There were no arguments. Few ever dared to argue with Rachel. She had been in the Kids Next Door longer than any of them and had risen through the ranks quite quickly. Her skills were both well known and respected.

Fanny would not question her, but she did stare down at the floor, extending her legs out as far as they would reach to stretch them. The lack of power was irritating her, but not as much as the fact that Rachel had chosen two _boys_ to be over her head in terms of power. _She could have at least given Numbuh 5 the job_, Fanny noted bitterly. _What use is Nigel Uno, anyways?_

She threw a glance at Rachel, about to speak her mind. But she choked it back down. There was no use, and while Fanny was a brave girl, even she would not stand up to 362. She was their leader, after all. And Fanny could respect her.

"How will divisions by sector go?" Fanny decided to ask to try to get her mind away from her annoyance.

"You see everybody in this room?"

"Yeah…"

"Meet Sector V of the Teens Next Door," Rachel said boredly. "And before you ask, yes, it does include me. I can't exactly be based up at the Moon when the Teens Next Door is supposed to be kept secret from even the Kids Next Door."

"Numbuh 5's just wondering," Abby said from the corner, "Is all we're going to do spy mission on the teens, or are we actually going to do any of the fightin?"

Rachel smiled. "Excellent question, Numbuh 5. Yes, we'll still be fighting. In desperate times we'll be relief, but for the most part I'm sure at least one of us will be found out from time to time. I ask that everybody be quiet about it, but the inevitable fight _will_ break out. Those things always do happen."

"Cool," Numbuh 2, Hoagie Gilligan, noted from his corner. "But what about access to 2x4 technology?"

"Limited, at best," Rachel admitted. "I can provide you with raw materials, but finished products…practically nil."

Hoagie actually looked excited rather than downtrodden about this new revelation. Fanny watched him for a second before rolling her eyes. _Stupid boy…_ She thought to herself, crossing her arms.

"All right, any other questions?" Rachel's air became businesslike as she waited. No one said anything. "All right then, you guys can go. Except you Fanny. I need you to stay behind to help me with paper work. You remember the old process, right? Herbie was decommissioned, so I'll need someone else to help…"

Fanny stayed planted where she was, her way of showing she'd stay. The others left, all talking loudly as they headed up the stairs and out of Rachel's basement. "Okay, here's the deal, 86," Rachel said with a sigh, "I don't have paper work. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I'm sorry I gave those jobs to Nigel and Patton, but…" Rachel gave another sigh. There was no way around it. "But they really were the best for the job."

"I know, sir," Fanny admitted, glad Nigel was out of ear shot.

"So you're okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good…" Rachel nodded, motioning that it would be all right for Fanny to leave. Fanny started to head up the stairs when she heard her name called. "Yeah?" She stopped where she was, not turning around.

"I will need you to help me with paper work tomorrow, okay? I can handle the few papers I've got tonight, but their sending me more tomorrow that have to be done in triplicate, and I could use a hand."

"Okay," Fanny said stiffly before making her exit. Once outside she took a gulp of fresh air, relieved to be out of the basement. She felt a strong sense of disappointment. _What's wrong with me_? She asked herself. _I feel disappointed, but….what do I feel disappointed about_? She sighed. _Must be that Nigel got my job…yeah…that's probably it._


	2. Secret's Out

-**Author's Note:** Glad to see there are other 86/362 shippers out there who also like 2/86. The books mentioned are in fact real books I'd recommend any day of the week.

Fanny shoved her books from her locker, ready to head out of school. But that moment, Hoagie Gilligan decided to come up behind her and plant his hands on either side of her locker. She whirled around and his light brown eyes gazed into her green ones.

"Would ya MOVE IT, Gilligan? I'm not in the mood fer this!" She tapped her foot, her boots making a loud noise against the wooden floor of the school. Hoagie smirked.

"Good to see you too, Fanny," She glared at him.

"Do yah honestly think I want you callin me by my name?" She demanded, ducking under his arm, freeing herself from his trap. "Why don't yeh jus' leave me alone….stupid boy," she muttered as she stomped off. Hoagie shrugged, deciding not to bother today. Normally he'd chase after her, but she seemed in a worse mood than usual since the announcement of Nigel as second-in-command. He made a mental note to try to do something nice for her tomorrow, knowing full well the gesture would probably be ignored.

Fanny exited the school and headed towards the portable buildings where Rachel's last class was held. Her class had apparently been held over, as kids were just now starting to spill out. Rachel was accompanied by a pretty brunette who kept whispering to her. Fanny felt her back straighten, suddenly feeling frustrated. She tried, and immediately failed, to push it from her mind.

Instead, she reacted in typical Fanny-Fulbright fashion. She went up on the other side of Rachel, and the whispering immediately stopped. "Hello, Rachel," Fanny greeted, but her eyes were on the other girl. The girl smiled.

"I'll see you later, Rachel. Call me sometime!" With that the girl ran off, not turning back to even wave. Fanny smirked in spite of herself, glad to be rid of the nuisance.

"So," Rachel adjusted the straps on her blue backpack, and Fanny noted just how many books the girl was carrying. There were two threatening to spill out of the side, the zipper unable to close. Fanny acted on instinct and grabbed them away before zipping the bag up.

"I'll carry these for you, sir…"

"It's Rachel, Fanny. No formalities today," Rachel said simply. She paused for a moment, realizing what books the saucy red head had grabbed. She felt a moment of panic, then pushed it out of her mind. The top one was fiction, anyways…and it's not like Fanny would probably take that much interest in them..right?

"So..what are these?" Fanny asked, studying the cover of the first book. The cover read "Keeping You a Secret". Two girls were posed together, one resting her head on the other's shoulder. Fanny glanced at Rachel, but dismissed any suspicions she might have had on the subject.

"So, it turns out there's even more paper work than I had as Supreme Commander," Rachel said conversationally, hoping to keep Fanny from asking anything about the book.

Fanny rolled her eyes. "Are you kidden' me? We needed a wheelbarrow one time for all tha' paperwork! No way you could have more now! There aren't even that many operatives for the Teens Next Door!"

"But it is fairly new," Rachel explained, "And I have to create new files for everyone, build a new file for Global Command with the Teens Next Door files in them and everyone has to be equipped with trackers."

"Trackers?!"

"Well…more implanted than equipped," Rachel admitted. "But the precaution really is necessary. People change in their teen years. This is just to make sure that we can be found if one of us turns traitor."

Fanny nodded. Her previous experience as the Head of Decomissioning had taught her that lesson all too well.

They reached Rachel's house a little while later. Rachel took both of the books from Fanny and stuck other books from her book shelf on top of them. Fanny was bewildered, but decided not to ask. She didn't have to. Rachel saw the question in Fanny's eyes and said "My mom….isn't too fond of this kind of stuff."

"Then what's the other book?" Fanny asked curiously, leaning over and trying to take a peek. Rachel turned away, allowing her to do so. Fanny removed the copy of Moby Dickto find the book from earlier and a copy of a book called Coming Out Within: Stages of Spiritual Awakening For Lesbians and Gay Men. "So…yer…"

Rachel sighed. "Gay? Yeah…I was going to ask you to spend the night, but I guess this might make it awkward, huh?"

"No," Fanny croaked out. She did not have a problem with Rachel being gay. But for some reason….this was making her nervous for some reason deeper than her best friend liking girls. It was because it was making it question herself. _Yer bein' silly_ she decided. "I'll stay."

"Good…there's no way I'll get this done in time on my own," Rachel smiled weakly, then pushed a button on one of the corners of her four post bed. A part of the wall opened up and papers spilt everywhere, practically flooding the room. The floor was no longer visible.

"…It's a good thing ya asked me to spend the night," Fanny noted, grabbing one of the papers that had landed on her lap. "But still..even with that, we're not going to be done 'til the next millenium…"


	3. My Type

**Author's Note:** I'm trying not to play this whole thing out the same way I'm doing Malchik gay…after all, being a lesbian is very different from being a gay male. I'm trying to make it so that anybody who might be reading both is not going "Hey, that same thing happened in her other one!"

Fanny stretched and yawned, double-checking Rachel's work. So far, everything Rachel handed her was in perfect order. "Glad all those years o' bein Supreme Leader have paid off…" Fanny joked, waiting for Rachel to answer back with a witty response. But none came. Fanny glanced up to see that her best friend was now sprawled out on the bed, asleep. "Out like a light," Fanny said to herself. She glanced towards the book shelf, thinking about Rachel's revelation. She sighed, and got into the bed with her friend. She nudged her over. Rachel groaned in her sleep, but rolled over. When Fanny laid down, though, Rachel's arm wrapped around her, like she were a teddy bear.

Fanny felt a blush spread across her face. "Err…Rachel?" No movement. Her friend remained perfectly stationary, though there was an occasional snore. Fanny bit her lip, but decided not to make a big deal of it. It was well past midnight by now, and Rachel really did need to start getting on a normal sleep schedule…_she was always up late at the Moon base.._ Fanny blinked several times, sleep starting to over take her. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she slept peacefully in her best friend's arms.

* * *

Monday morning, when Fanny opened her locker an avalanche of flowers tumbled out, some landing in her hair and others falling to the floor. "Who the??" _…did Rachel…_? she wondered momentarily. Her question was answered a moment later.

"So..do you like them?" Hoagie was suddenly standing beside her. Fanny's hand gripped her chest, feeling a little freaked out by how suddenly he'd come up on her.

"…Yeh mean te' tell me you did this? What's the deal, Gilligan?" She demanded. He scooped up one of the roses and tucked it behind her ear.

"Honestly, Fanny, if you don't get it you should probably stop calling people stupid," He smirked. "I should think it would be obvious."

"What do yeh want?" she asked skeptically.

"A date would be nice," He grabbed her hand, trying to be suave. "Friday night? You, me, movies…"

"Do yeh honestly think I'm goin' teh say yes?"

"Well, I had hopes," Hoagie admitted, "But I figured you'd probably respond that way. Don't worry, though. I'm not about to give up. See you around, Fanny.." She watched as he walked away, sighing as she slammed her locker door shut. "He's like a lost puppy or somethin'" she muttered to herself. He'd been doing things like this since the start of their 9th grade year, determined to get Fanny to go out with him. It was an enigma to Fanny, who had decided it was just Hoagie's idea of a joke.

"Hey, Fanny," Rachel greeted her friend. "I've got lots of homework, plus five projects all due on Monday, so I can't do anything with you this weekend. Sorry."

"That's all right," Fanny shrugged, but she couldn't help but feel kind of upset. "If I want the do something, I guess I could take Hoagie Gilligan up on his offer…"

"Numbuh 2?" Rachel looked kind of surprised. Fanny nodded, missing the shock on her best friend's face. "Oh…I didn't know you two were…uh. Wow."

"We're not!" Fanny was horrified. "No way! Hoagie Gilligan…definitely not. We're not even friends, we'd definitely never be more than.."

Rachel sighed. _She's protesting way too much. Poor Fanny…way too readable._ "Oh, that's cool," _No need to push her into admitting anything. …Wow, I'm being selfish_, Rachel admitted to herself. "But if you want to do something with him..it's really no big deal. It could just be as friends."

"That's the only way it'd ever be!" Fanny snapped, clutching her books closer to her. "What about you? Who was that girl from the other day?"

Her tone was almost accusatory. Rachel couldn't help but smile about it. "She's just a friend, Fanny. Relax. I'm not dating her….yet."

Fanny immediately frowned at the last word, and Rachel burst into laughter. "Oh, relax, would ya?" Rachel clapped her friend hard on the back. "I'm not interested in her that way. She's not my type. Too bubbly."

"Then…what is yer type?" Fanny asked, irritated with herself for feeling so curious about it.

"Oh, you know.." Rachel said as she stuffed a paper into her backpack, "kind of bossy…loud…and I find Irish accents particularly adorable." Fanny blushed crimson red. "Oh, and she should be pretty…I like curly hair…and last, but most important, she should be loyal." With that, Rachel walked off, leaving a bewildered Fanny behind.

_Between her and Gilligan, I'm going to drive myself insane.._ Fanny decided, lightly hitting her head against the locker.


	4. Realizing

**Author's Note: **It is with great pleasure I announce (skip if you read Malchik Gay's latest update) that this is being turned into a fan comic by one of the readers, and Malchik Gay will be as well (…guess there's just something about lesbians and gay guys that make people want to see it). Anyways, the artist for this will be Mel ..uh…I think her name on is CindyNeutron (I'll correct later if I'm wrong), and Teh-Drabbler will be doing the art for Malchik Gay (though I just received word it will be entitled "All About Us" instead…which I'm actually rather happy about, as it's still a T.A.T.U. song)

Somehow word had gotten out to all the Teens Next Door about Rachel. Fanny heard them whispering, but didn't react to it. Because well…none of it was bad. They seemed shocked, yes, but no one had a bad word to say about Rachel. _Even if they have a problem with lesbians, yeh just can't hold anythin' against her…she's a great leader. They know this has nothin' tah do with her abilities.._

She felt suddenly uncomfortable and began to squirm in her chair, feeling a steady gaze upon her. She glanced up to see Hoagie watching her. He smiled, and sort of gave a lazy salute. She rolled her eyes and shifted her eyes back to the map in front of her. They were all supposed to be trying to determine which sectors they would be backing up in case of attacks.

"Well, whad about Sector C?" Wally was demanding. Nigel groaned.

"For the last time, Numbuh 4, we only cover sectors in _our_ country…Sector C is in China!"

"Oh. And China would be where?" Nigel groaned again, but did not validate Wally's question with an answer. Fanny snickered a bit. Usually Wally was an annoyance to her, but she found it quite funny when he was agitating someone else.

Patton was glancing over the map, making notes on sectors in pencil. He and Nigel were the only ones standing. Everyone else had a seat around the edge of the table, save Rachel…she hadn't made it to the tree house yet. _Wonder what's holdin' her up…_ Her mind jumped to the pretty girl she had seen Rachel with a few days back…_She said she wasn't interested in her, though…_

She blinked rapidly, as though it would remove that thought from her head. Why was she wondering about this? _I'm not that way…_She let out a long exhale, glancing at the door, expecting Rachel to come through the door at any second. Nothing happened. At least, nothing that included Rachel.

But now Hoagie had somehow managed to get beside her. "So…about this weekend…." he whispered, casting a cautionary glance at Nigel and Patton. The two teenage boys were notorious for not letting anything get in the way of missions, or at least with few exceptions. And if they figured out that Hoagie was talking about a date…well, there reaction would be less than pleasant.

"What about it?" Fanny grumbled. She'd told Rachel she was going to go with Hoagie, so now she felt obligated. Just so that she could say she hadn't stayed home all weekend doing nothing.

"So, I was thinking we'd go to the movies, then the park…I'd let you choose the movie, of course," He offered.

Fanny finally turned to face him. He was biting his lip as he waited for the answer, and he looked so…hopeful. She both felt sympathetic towards him and terrified of him. What was this? Why was he fawning over her so much lately?

"Oh, all right," she whispered, half because she didn't want Nigel or Patton to overheard, and partly because she kind of didn't want Hoagie to hear her say yes. He pumped his fist into the air, knocking himself off balance. He fell, but when he got up, he laughed.

"Sorry…sorry….guess I just sorta 'fell' for Fanny!" Fanny rolled her eyes and crossed her legs, decidedly looking away from him. Finally, Rachel came in. Fanny breathed a sigh of relief and got up to greet her.

Hoagie watched the two of them closely, slowly allowing the pieces to fall into place. He whispered a soft "oh", but did not react otherwise. _Well…I …I didn't realize Fanny felt that way about her_, he thought to himself, setting his head down on the table, much to the chagrin of both Patton and Nigel, who both immediately started yelling. Hoagie ignored them, still watching Rachel and Fanny talk over in the corner. _I'm not giving up on her yet_, he decided, bolting himself up. _Maybe Rachel doesn't feel the same way…or…_He bit his lip again, thinking things over carefully.

On the one hand, Rachel was out and proud since a few weeks ago, though Hoagie knew her parents had yet to find out.

On the other, Fanny hadn't admitted to anything. And that was the key, wasn't it? _Maybe Rachel's just a phase for her?_ He knew that it might turn out to be false hope, but it was all he had for now.

**Author's note: **I already know exactly how this is going to end. I have for a while. I was originally just going to do a Rachel/Fanny story, but …I just can't resist putting Hoagie in there as a major character. He's funny, charming, and he looks pretty damn cute beside Fanny. And no, that doesn't necessarily (it might) mean that Fanny will choose Rachel.


End file.
